ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the anatomy, both macroscopic and microscopic, of the soft tissue internal structures of the hip joint in animal species and in three human hips (an adult and two fetuses). We dissected the hip joints of 16 species and compared the anatomical features of the soft tissue from the respective acetabula. In addition, a histological study was made of the specimens studied. In amphibians, we found a meniscus in the acetabulum, which was not observed in any of the other species studied. The isolated round ligament is observed from birds onwards. In the group of mammals analysed, including the human specimens, we found a meniscoid structure in the acetabular hip joint. Furthermore, we found that the meniscoid structure forms an anatomo-functional unit with the round ligament and the transverse ligament of the coxofemoral joint. These discoveries suggest the participation of the soft tissue anatomy in adaptative changes of species.
Subject(s)
Acetabulum/anatomy & histology , Hip Joint/anatomy & histology , Acetabulum/embryology , Amphibians/anatomy & histology , Animals , Birds/anatomy & histology , Hip Joint/embryology , Humans , Ligaments, Articular/anatomy & histology , Ligaments, Articular/embryology , Menisci, Tibial/anatomy & histology , Menisci, Tibial/embryology , Primates/anatomy & histologyABSTRACT
In the present paper, the acute and subchronical inflammatory processes of the vaginal epithelial were studied in mice experimentally infected with two Trichomonas vaginalis strains of different pathogenicity, by means of histological and immunological methods. There was an increase in the stratified epithelium layers as well as edema produced by the increase of vascularization in the propia submucosa and infiltration of leukocytes. The proliferation of the vaginal epithelium favors the settlement and persistence of the parasitic infection. All of the findings corresponded with signs of a systemic disease being observed in the animals, including significant weight loss and also intestinal invasion. The entire inflammatory process has been corroborated by studies of adhesion molecules such as E-Selectin, VCAM-1 and PECAM-1. A correlation between the time of appearance and the perseverance of the inflammatory process with E-Selectin and VCAM-1 expression was observed, but not with PECAM-1. The strain with a higher pathogenicity was able to invade deep vaginal tissues and thus, parasites could not be detected by vaginal washings. This may be an important cause of diagnosis and treatment failure. Also, by the different localization of trichomonads, it appeared that the battle between host and parasite took place in different areas dependent upon the characteristics of the strain.
